The OC Mod comes complete with its own installation program. The method of installation assumes that there is an original installation of Cossacks: Back To War complete with Baddogs Mod 1 in the 'normal' installation location of; 'C:\Program Files\Cossacks - Back To War'

If your installation of the original is not in this location then the OC Mod installer will not work correctly. The original needs to be in this place as it attempts to copy 'ALL' files and folders within this 'original installation' folder. This copied installation folder will be named; 'C:\Program Files\Cossacks - BTW OCMOD' If your 'original' installation is not in the expected place then you may temporarily rename the location of the 'original' installation to this location(taking care with spaces), then rename it back to whatever you like after the installation is complete. The new folder will become the OC Mod folder and will have the new files placed within. This installation will leave the original cossacks installation completely intact. The installer will offer the option to place an icon both on the destop and in the start options. This way you will be able to easily access either the original or the new installation without either interfering with the other. Please note the file is nearly 60MB long so will take a while to download.

KNOWN ISSUES To the best of my knowledge the only issue with the installation lies in exiting the map editor. Although this causes crashing to the desktop, I am not aware of any problems arising from this. Immediate re-entry into the Cossacks is possible without issue.

Description

The OC Mod is concerned with the land aspect of cossacks first and formost. Sea units may be altered after a land balance has been achieved. Base shotpower has increased for units with all units now having between 26 to 42 base shotpower. The the disparity of shotpower across troop types is now vastly reduced. Whilest reload rates are also slowed down. Light troops now have rifles with extra range, but slower reload time and no melee. They also have a new 'skirmish' formation. Formations now give much greater attack and defence bonus. This encourages formation use. They have a different appearance as well, being based on companies of 72 for foot and 40 for horse. A definite 17thC/18thC differance of appearance between the two. With seventeenth C troops in a typical 17thC column formation and eighteenth C troops in more apt 3 deep line formations, even columns are multiple lines. One notable formation difference is that the 17thC Imperial nations(Spain, Austria, Bavaria and Piedmont) square formations are now Tercio skirts which fits perfectly around the next size down column formation. Thus these nations can now have a realistic, musket skirt around a pike centre! In my view the greatest improvement based on formations is the use of flagbearers, which help to reinvigourate ailing troops much the same way as priests. Whilest also giving the battlefield a more colourful look.

Seventeenth C Pike are produced at the same rate as musketeers and 18thC musketeers are produced at a greater rate than 18thC pike. Grenadiers now take pride of place on the field, much tougher and the fastest foot troops along with light troops. As mentioned earlier these light troops now carry rifles with longer range and reload rates. Horse now produces slower with the harness upgrade having reduced effect and a slower base production speed as well. Also the production speed is now homogenised so that all cavalry produce at roughly the same rate. Dragoons are now much reduced in effect but still have their uses. Artillery has a slower fire rate with slightly greater range giving slightly more damage. It is also much more expensive to produce in large numbers. Mulibarrels have a limit of 2 per depot and are much weaker, almost useless against armoured troops in formation, but extremely good against priests and peasants.

Mercenaries now produce slower and are more effective. Eighteenth Century units are only available in 18thC. Hopefully this will make diplomatice centers useful but not outright game winners. Houses now are more expensive but house more people, thus take up less room on the map. Depots are more expensive with an increasing cost per depot, thus it is difficult to get too many of them. Limits for most artillery is reduced per depot, except canons. Eighteenth C canons only available in the 18th C. Stables production is now more even across nations, Bavaria is no longer penalised as greatly compared with Poland, though there is a difference. Elite horse with additional bonus's. A totally new nation has been added, Scotland. With almost a complete new troop type base. More importantly a totally new AI making full use of the new unit types available and increasing up and beyond the original AI. Trading has been overhauled. Aimed at reducing the effects of reverse trading. The Mod has also reduced the 'worth' of stone trading. Together these two changes have been aimed at encouraging the greater need for mining thus increasing the strategical need to control the whole map, rather than encouraging purely 1 strategy of concentrated build up. At its outset the OC Mod aimed to redress some slight balance issues based on both individual units within a type and imbalanced nation strengths. Since those simple ideals the Mod has grown far in excess of its original intent.